Being an only child, I had never had the experience of living with anyone besides my parents, but I could never have asked for a better sister than Steffi, my German exchange student.  From the moment I arrived at the Frankfurt airport, I felt entirely welcome.  Since my luggage was lost when I first got to Germany, I figured that I would be upset or homesick, but Steffi’s family made me feel so at home that I never once felt homesick or even thought about my luggage.

My first week in Germany was spent getting to know Steffi, as well as her friends and family.  Just on the way to her house from the airport I got my first experience of Germany: driving on the autobahn at 120 miles per hour.  Wow!  Steffi lived in Wallertheim, the most adorable little village about half an hour from Mainz and 45 minutes from Frankfurt.  Wallertheim was complete with its own village church, train station, delicious bakery and lots of rolling vineyards.  In Wallertheim, there were fresh gardens and you went to someone’s house to get fresh eggs.  Steffi’s family was amazing; they were the most caring and exciting host family I could possibly have gotten.  Steffi and her dad both spoke English and were more than willing to explain everything to me and show me around everywhere we went.  Steffi’s mom was an amazing cook, and it was actually lots of fun trying to communicate with her since I didn’t speak German and she didn’t speak English.  Steffi’s sister was so beautiful and sweet.  The first couple of days, Steffi’s family took me to Mainz and Worms to show me around the area near where they lived in the Rhineland Palatinate.  I met all of Steffi’s friends, who were all very fun and friendly.  Steffi’s best friend drove a carriage and worked in a vineyard.  Everyone was willing to practice his or her English and try to entertain me.  At Steffi’s school, everyone was really great and I got to see what German high school is like.  It was, surprisingly, not very different from school here, except they didn’t change classes.  Going to school, I became quite familiar with the train system.  I loved taking the trains and wish we used them at home so I didn’t have to drive everywhere. 

During my second week in Germany, I really got to see a lot of the country.  We drove five hours across the middle of the country to Dresden.  Along the way, we passed through many of the country’s various states and I experienced some of the most beautiful countryside.  We stayed for several days in an inn outside of Dresden right on the Elbe River.  Steffi’s family had lived in Saxony, the area around Dresden, up until two years before and could tell me everything about the area and its history.  We toured the magnificent and historic city of Dresden.  The great cultural and historical heritage of the city was amazing.  We visited the majestic Palace of August the Strong, the opera house and the Frauen Kirsch that was destroyed during World War II.  Dresden gave me such a wonderful insight into East German culture and history, not to mention how much I enjoyed the great shopping there.  I especially enjoyed a river cruise we took down the Elbe, with sights including splendid castles and quaint villages.  We also visited the zoo in Dresden where we took a miniature train around a palace park and the Volkswagen factory.  On the way back to Wallertheim, we stopped in the tiny town of Seiffen.  Seiffen is renown for its woodcrafts and is the home of the nutcracker.  There I was able to buy the cutest souvenirs and get my parents a real traditional nutcracker, something they love to collect. 

My final week in Germany we took a trip to Berlin, which was quite an amazing experience.  My first glimpse of Berlin came from the top of a television tower with an observation deck.  The view was breathtaking; the city seemed so giant and diverse. While in Berlin, we ate delicious food in all of the city’s lovely quaint neighborhoods.  My favorite was curry wurst, which is a sausage with spicy curry powder.  We walked down the main shopping street, Under die Linden Strauss, and strolled under the Brandenburg Gate.  We saw all the old GDR government buildings, explored numerous beautiful churches, ate lots of delicious ice cream, and went up to the top of the Reichstag building.  We saw the altar of Pergamum in the Pergamon Museum, visited Checkpoint Charlie at the crossing point for the Berlin Wall, and rode the train around the entire city. 

On my last full day in Germany, Steffi and I went to Cologne.  A bustling and overwhelming city, it was home to the most beautiful cathedral and churches, as well as lots of shopping.  To Cologne and back, we took a train along the Rhine River so I could see the famous castles and villages that are so renown.  On our way back to Steffi’s house, we decided to walk through the fields, which allowed me to see firsthand the beautiful countryside and sunflower fields that surround Wallertheim.  That night, Steffi’s mother made the most delicious dinner and apricot cake.  It was so saddening to know I was leaving Germany.  Saying goodbye to Steffi’s family and friends was only made less distressing by the fact that Steffi was coming back with me and that everyone promised to visit.

My experience with Steffi staying at my home was no less enjoyable than my stay in Germany.  I only felt guilty that there were not as many historical sites that were centuries old in Florida as there were in Germany!  Steffi got to know my friends and we went to Disney World, St. Augustine and other sites around Florida.  When it was at last time for Steffi to go home, we both cried.  I could not believe how much my whole family missed having Steffi around at our house after she was gone, but we still communicate all the time by email- not to mention that we keep in touch with each other’s friends.

My stay in Germany and Steffi’s stay with me are experiences that I will forever appreciate.  Not only did I get to go on vacation and see a beautiful country, but also I got to really experience the culture and the life of that country.  I came home with a greater understanding of what it is like to get along in a place where you do not speak the language and with a great desire to learn to speak German.  Most importantly, I made friends that I could not have found any other way.  I believe that Steffi and I will remain friends for quite a long time, and I hope that we will visit back and forth often.